Slack burner



June 28, 1932. PRQBST 1,864,932

. SLACK BURNER Filed April 14, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 anon" up.

Patented June 28, 1932v EDWARD A. PROBST, OF OGDEN, UTAH' SLACK BURNER Application filed April 14, 1931. Serial No. 530,030.

in discharging air from said shaft. In this connection, a further aim is to make novel provision whereby the air may be either discharged upwardly or may be directed downwardly onto the fire, and yet another aim is to provide for adjusting the cap to diiferent extents above the air-conducting shaft to allow.

more or less discharge of air under said cap, as may be required.

The dome-like grate above mentioned, is at the center of a horizontal annular grate, and a further object of the invention is to so construct this annular grate that it may be easily reduced in size for use within a fire-box of less diameter than that with which the grate is manufactured.

A still further aim is the provision of a. slack burner which is comparatively simple and inexpensive, yet will be highly efiicient and desirable, and will be long-lived.

With the foregoing in view, the invention resides in the novel subject matter hereinafter described and claimed, description being ac-' complished by reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view.

Fig. 3 is a disassembled perspective view.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the dome-like and annular grates.

Fig. 5 is a bottom plan view of the annular grate.

Fig. 6 is a detail sectional view on line 6-6 of Fig. 2.

A preferred construction has been illus trated and will be specifically described, with the understanding however, that within the scope of the invention as claimed, variations may be made.

The numeral 10 on the drawings denotes an annular horizontal grate adapted to rest upon a conventional grate of a fire-box. The grate 10 is composed of a plurality of spaced concentric rings 11 integrally connected by radial ribs or webs 12, these webs or ribs being weakened by providing them with grooves 13. Hence, bybreaking. the webs or ribs 12 at desired points, one or more of the rings 11 may be removed from the grate 10, decreasing the diameter of the latter as may be required.

At its inner edge, the grate 10 is provided with hook-like lugs 14: which support a dome like center grate 15, the upper end of said grate 15 having a central opening 16 whose wall is formed with two opposed vertical grooves-17. The opening 16 receives the reduced lower end 18 of two semi-tubular sections19 of which an air-conducting shaft 20 is formed, said reduced ends 18 having lugs 21 which are passed downwardly through the grooves 17 when connecting the shaft 20 with the grate15. A After such passage of the lugs fllthrough the grooves 17, rotation or turning of the shaft 20. brings the 1ugs'21 under the top of the grate 15 so that the shaft and grate are well connected with each other.

Near their lower ends,the shaft sections 19 are provided with integral lugs 22 which project beyond their abuttingv edges, the lugs of each section embracing the other section. Neartheir upper ends, the abutting edges of the sections 19 are formed with interengaged projections 23 and recesses 24. Said upper ends of the sections 19 are also formed at suitable intervals with air-discharge openings 25. 7

At the upper end. of the air-conducting shaft 20, is a cap 26. This cap is spaced above the greater part of the upper end of shaft 20,

' leaving air-discharge openings 27 between the two, and the peripheral edge of said cap is downwardly turned at 28 to downwardly direct the air discharged from saidopenings 27. In the preferred construction, the shaft sections 19 are provided with diametrically opposite upstanding. lugs 29 having vertical grooves 30in their outer sides, and vertical slots 31 communicating with said grooves. The cap 26 is provided with two downwardly projecting lugs 32 received in the grooves 30 and formed with openings 33 registering with the slots 31. A clamping bolt 34 passes through the openings 33 and slots 31 and when tightened, holds the cap 26 rigidly in place and consequently holds the upper ends of the shaft sections 19 in assembled relation.

By loosening the bolt 34, the cap 26 may be raised or lowered to increase or decrease the size of the openings 27 as may be desired.

By preference, the center of the cap 26 is provided with openings 35 which may be regulated by a rotatable damper 36. This damper is provided with an operating lug 37 which may readily be engaged by a poker or the like to adjust said damper, and appropriate stops 38 are provided to co-act with said lug 37 in limiting the opening and closing'movements ,of said damper.

When the invention is installed, slack or similar fuel. may be readily burned due to the ample supply of air conducted thereto by the construction herein described. When the damper 36 is closed, air discharges through the openings 25 and 27, and the downturned edge 28 of the cap 26 directs the air from said openings 27 downwardly onto the fire bed through which the shaft 20 passes. The discharge of air through the openings 25 and 27 decreases with opening of the damper 36 but even with this damper fully opened, some air will discharge at 25 and 27, as well as discharging upwardly through the openings 35. In addition to the regulation of air afforded by the damper 36, the cap 26 may be raised or lowered as required to vary the size of the openings 27 It will thus be seen that such effective air regulation as to obtain the best results, may be easily effected with the invention. Such air regulation could, of course, be carried out if the air shaft 20 were of onepiece construction instead of sectional form, as herein disclosed. To facilitate manufacture however, and allow more readily for expansion and contraction, the shaft 20 is preferably formed of sections such as 19, and it will be observed that these sections are held in assembled relation at their lower ends by the grate 15 and at their upper ends by the cap 26.

By following the general construction shown and described, an eflicient and desirable device is produced, but attention is invited to the fact that within the scope of the invention as claimed, variations may be made. 7

I claim p 1. In a slack burner, a dome-like grate for disposition, in a fire box, said grate having an opening in its upper end, an a-pertured tubular air shaft resting on said dome-like grate and longitudinally divided into sections, said sections having reduced lower ends received in said opening, whereby said sections are held in assembled relation at said lower ends, and a cap over said air shaft having means engaging the upper ends of said shaft sections to hold said sections in assembled relation at said upper ends.

2. In a slack burner, a dome-like grate for disposition in a fire boX, said grate having an opening in its upper end, an apertured tubular air shaft resting on said dome-like grate and longitudinally divided into sections, said sections having reduced lower ends received in said opening, whereby said sections are held in assembled relation at said lower ends, a cap over said air shaft provided with downwardly projecting lugs which-lie against the exterior of said shaft and hold the shaft sections in assembled relation at their upper ends, and fastening means passingv through said lugs and shaft to secure said cap and shaft together.

3. A structure as specified in claim 2; said shaft having vertical slots receiving said fastening means and allowing vertical adjustment of said cap into different vertically spaced relations with said shaft.

4:. In a slack burner, a tubular upstanding air shaft to extend upwardly through the fire bed, said shaft having a cap at its upper end which projects laterally therefrom and turns downwardly at its edge, said shaft having air discharge openings directly under said cap, whereby the downturncd edge of said cap will direct the outgoing air downwardly onto the fire, said cap being provided also with damper-equipped openings for upwardly discharging air when desired.

5. In a slack burner, a tubular upstanding air shaft to extend upwardly through the fire bed, said shaft being provided with an open upper end, a cap above said open end of said shaft provided with downwardly projecting lugs lying against said shaft, and fastening means securing said lugs to said shaft, said shaft having vertical slots receiving said fastening means, allowing vertical adjustment of said cap to vary the discharge of air between said cap and shaft.

6. In a slack burner, a tubular upstanding air shaft to extend upwardly through the fire bed, said shaft being provided with an open upper end, a cap above said open end of said shaft provided with downwardly projecting lugs lying against said shaft, and fastening means securing said lugs to said shaft, said cap being provided with damperequipped openings for upwardly discharging air when desired.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

'EDW'ARD A. PROBST. 

